“Policymaking is one of the most powerful tools we have for shaping the world we live in.”
Around the world, however, there is a growing recognition that the way we do policy is falling short—deepening inequality, eroding trust, and leaving too many people behind. Too often, decisions that affect millions are made in distant rooms by a relatively disconnected and select few. This handbook starts from a simple—through hardly new—yet urgent idea: to build more just, inclusive, and peaceful societies, policymaking itself must change. It must be people-centered, anchored in participation, shared power, and public purpose so that people have the full capability to live well and flourish.
This handbook argues that adaptive, participatory governance is not just an option—it is an imperative for renewing institutional credibility, rebuilding trust, and delivering more just and resilient societies.
Part 1 touches on the challenges that define today’s policymaking: deeply interconnected and evolving landscapes, growing public distrust, entrenched inequalities and widening power imbalances, rising polarization, grievances, disinformation, and institutional failures
Part 2 introduces the process-oriented framework that embeds participation, power analysis, and equity across policymaking activities.
Part 3 dives into the framework, which is built around five interlocking policy activities—each supported by a suite of tools.
Ultimately, this handbook argues that adaptive, participatory governance is not just an option—it is an imperative for renewing institutional credibility, rebuilding trust, and delivering more just and resilient societies.